Nanowire arrays improve performance of thin-film solar cells

Posted - April 21, 2011Kel Hahn

Nanotechnology offers a promising path to high-efficiency and low-cost next-generation solar cells. As the field matures and developers gain a deeper understanding of size effects, the efficiency values achieved by nanostructured designs are expected to surpass traditional devices by wide margins.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky, US, have developed two novel device configurations for thin-film CdS-CdTe solar cells, where the traditional CdS window layer is replaced by nanowires of CdS embedded in an aluminum oxide matrix or free standing.